


Only You

by NifflersNogtailsNargles



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Arguing, Hiccups, Kissing, M/M, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:07:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24908116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NifflersNogtailsNargles/pseuds/NifflersNogtailsNargles
Summary: It was intolerable. Absolutely unacceptable. He could not let it continue. He scowled as another undignified jerk took over his body. How was he to project an air of terror and calm superiority with all of this incessant hiccuping? Luckily, he knew exactly who was to blame and had every intention of making them pay. Preferably in blood.
Relationships: Alphard Black/Tom Riddle
Kudos: 18
Collections: Half-Blood Prince Drabble Elimination Challenge





	Only You

It was intolerable. Absolutely unacceptable. He could not let it continue. He scowled as another undignified jerk took over his body. How was he to project an air of terror and calm superiority with all of this incessant hiccuping? Luckily, he knew who was to blame and had every intention of  
making them pay. 

Determined, he set his face into the coldest expression he could manage. An effect somewhat ruined by the uneven squeals punctuating every few breaths. By the time he'd made the journey to the common room, he was irate. So irate that several second years abandoned their game of Exploding Snap and took off to their dorms at a run. Even the little ones knew better than to be in the immediate vicinity when Tom was in a mood.

“Black!” 

A dark-haired boy lazily quirked an eyebrow towards him, the only indication he'd been heard. Apparently Alphard Black had not gotten the memo about Tom's temper. 

“What -hic- is the meaning of this?” He fixed the boy with his deadliest glare, peeved but unsurprised that it seemed to have no affect. Black had been an insolent swine the entirety of their acquaintance, a fact unlikely to have changed in the hour since dinner. 

“Well, I'm not sure what they call them in that hovel you call home, but here we call them hiccups” he quipped, amusement oozing from every pore of his perfect face. And it was perfect. 

Tom was a handsome boy, he knew it and used it to his advantage at every opportunity. It was a soft kind of handsome. A boyish, cherubic sort of charm that made elderly witches want to pinch his cheeks. It served his goals well enough, and that was what mattered. Alphard Black though; he was striking. All high cheekbones and sharp angles and inky waves that fell softly about his shoulders. It was a hard kind of beauty. The kind that intimidated lesser mortals and drew the powerful in. 

“Yes I know what-” He reddened as another hiccup wracked his body, “-hiccups are, thank you.” 

“There you go then. Mystery solved.” He shrugged, unconcerned by the increasing rage of the boy before him as he turned back towards the book he had been reading. 

“There was no -hic- mystery. You did this!” His voice had risen to a near-shout, sending more second years running. The pale, tense expressions of the third years suggested they wouldn't be far behind. Black snapped his book closed with a put-upon sigh. 

“C'mon Riddle, let's take this elsewhere so you can have your tantrum without terrifying the kiddies.” 

“I do not have-” he took a deep breath as he tried to stem the next round of hiccups. “I do not have tantrums, Black. And you'd do well to show me some respect, before I get angry.” He flashed his eyes and clenched his jaw menacingly, an expression that would turn anyone's blood cold. 

Anyone except Alphard Black. 

“Yes, very scary and intimidating. Shall we?” Annoyed, but unwilling to subject himself to any more public hiccuping, he obliged. 

Once they had exited the dorms, Alphard made his way towards an alcove at the furthest end of the dungeon corridor. It was spacious, but well hidden for their purposes.

“Well, out with it. What's your problem this time?” 

Tom's indignation was almost comical, his brow furrowed as he pressed his lips together, desperately suppressing the urge to inhale. 

“You did -hic- this to me!” 

“Did what?” The boy sounded genuinely baffled..

“Don't lie to me!” he hissed, drawing his wand and pointing it in Alphard's face. “You slipped a -hic- Hiccuping Potion into my -hic- drink. Admit it!” 

“Rubbish!” he scoffed, “Why would I do that?” 

“Why do you do anything you -hic- do? You probably perceive it to be -hic- amusing. Well, I refuse to be made a fool of. Admit it or pay the price.” He dug his wand into the other boy's cheek hard, surprised when his only response was a sneer of disdain. 

“If I wanted to make a fool of you, there are far more entertaining ways I could have done it, In the seven years we've known each other, have you ever known me to be so uninspired?” 

He was considering this statement when he felt something poke him in the stomach. His eyes grew wide as he looked down; it was Alphard's wand. 

“You need to learn to control your emotions, Tommy Boy. They make you sloppy.” 

Tom felt as though he'd been slapped. He hadn't felt so caught off guard since his tangle with Abraxas Malfoy third year, hadn't felt so stupid since Dumbledore had caught him with his 'acquisitions' at the orphanage. It wasn't a comfortable feeling, though it was intriguing.

“I see you Tom. and you don't scare me. Not one bit. You storm around full of piss and vinegar, demanding respect you haven't earned, always needing to prove how much cleverer you are than the rest of us. So desperate to prove yourself more than what you are; a poor little orphan boy who no-one ever loved.” 

Tom trembled at the intensity in those grey eyes, hating himself for every second passed that he failed to muster the hatred for a halfway decent cruciatus. He barely registered the slight movement as the wand was removed from his abdomen, or the hand rising to cup his face, or the thumb stroking his cheek. 

“No-one except you.” It was supposed to be a statement, but came out as a question.

“Yes.” His voice was quieter now, his gaze soft. “No-one except me.” 

Tom closed his eyes as their lips met, the way they had a million times before. He was always so surprised by the tenderness of their explorations, awed that he was capable of such gentleness. For a boy so untouched by kindness, it was a revelation. As they finally parted, Alphard rested his forehead against his, smiling. 

“Tom?”

“Mm?”

“Your hiccups have stopped.”


End file.
